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Five Red Flags When Interviewing

In my role at LifeWay, there are more than 500 employees in the division I am responsible to lead. As we have been looking to bring passionate people to the team who are deeply committed to our mission of serving churches in their mission of making disciples, I have been involved in a lot of interviews.

If you are a leader, you know that having the right players on the team is absolutely essential in fulfilling the mission the Lord has given your ministry. Thus, the recruiting and interviewing process is very important. In looking back at all the interviews I have been a part of, here are five red flags that give me great caution in taking a next step with a potential team member.

1 – No questions

If someone asks no questions, it gives me the impression that they are passive, that they are not the type to take initiative, and that they don’t possess a holy curiosity that is going to nudge them to learn, explore, and look for more effective ways to serve. It also gives the impression that they are a bit cold, unable to have a conversation, to engage, to lead people somewhere.

2 – Bad questions

I like questions because I learn more about a candidate by the questions they ask. And bad questions are very revealing about a person’s work ethic, passions, goals, and priorities. I won’t reveal all the bad questions because I still have more interviews to lead, but here are a few:

The question: How many hours do I need to work?

What I think: This may be someone who wants to punch a clock. I want people driven by a calling, not by a clock.

The question: What will my title be?

What I think: This may be someone who is more concerned about personal platform than the mission the Lord has given us.

3 – Excuses

Because the past is often a great indicator of the future, I am going to ask questions about past performance, faithfulness, and impact. I am not looking for perfection but a track record. Excuses are a major red flag because it shows the person is unable to own his/her responsibilities fully. I would much rather a person say, “Here is where I blew it and the lessons I learned.”

4 – Negative comments about current leaders

The person who bashes his/her current leaders or team members will be the same person who brings that toxic attitude into our culture. No thank you.

5 – Over-negotiation

When someone over-negotiates salary, benefits, or some other aspect of the role, I quickly get turned off. I think either (a) the person is not overly excited about the role as it is presented or (b) the person has an inflated view of her/himself and this will never end. I may be oversensitive to over-negotiation, but I tend to be the one who walks away.

Red flags are great. They prevent you from continuing down a path that won’t be fruitful and best for the team and ministry for which you are responsible. Pay attention to them.

Reader Interactions

Comments

The only point I would pushback on would be your first point.
There has been times when I’m being interviewed & I legitimately don’t have a question. I understand my job, as much as I can at that point, but honestly don’t have a question to ask. That doesn’t mean I don’t have drive or am passive or don’t look for ways to continuously improve.
In fact I’m a very curious person and often ask ‘how could this be improved. Or how could the process be expedited.” I just don’t possess enough knowledge at the time of the interview to suggest anything credible. So it’s not passivity, but rather waiting until I get my hands dirty to understand and see how things could improve.
Those are just the thoughts of someone who falls under your 1st point.
Thanks for your thoughts however. It’s always helpful to know what interviewers are thinking going into an interview.

I agree with Tom. This happens to me also. I have an interview and understand everything said in that interview and at the end I am asked if I have questions. At the moment, no however after I get out and have had time to process what was said, then yes, I may have questions. My interviewers did an excelent job of presenting the program, expectations, salary, etc. No questions.

I believe bad quesitons come sometime when a person feels obligated to ask questions when in fact he/she doesn’t really have a question. In this case it would be better, in my opinion, not to have a question rather than to ask a question.

I would agree with the post before mine. It is my current experience(I am looking for a new minsitry opportunity) that those conducting the interview haven’t set up the process very well in the first place. I am Skype interviewing with a company that a chucrh is using and they have presented the position posted very well. I have had some time to think through some very pointed questions like, if this church is “missional” what are they doing to incarnate them-self to the “uttermost parts of the world?” Are they giving to CP? What is staff infrastructure/function? What is thte lead pastor’s expection of me to develop his staff? What financial internal controls are in place in order to conduct a proper fudiciary? What discipleship is being done with high impact givers/the average giver in the pew? And a list of others . . . I can do this because it was presented right from the beginning . . . .

I would agree for the most part. Although, in point #2 regarding bad questions…the example of asking how many hours do I have to work. Perhaps they have a family and would like to know what a work and family balance looks like?? Your first ministry is to your family. There are many real life examples of pastors whose marriages failed because they devoted more time to their “ministry” instead of their marriage or kids. Perhaps this is a straw man but your take on bad questions is not so cut and dry as you frame it.

A good point. Maybe a different way to ask this question is “What is a typical work day here in the office like?” An employer who hasn’t spelled out expectations clearly enough for and employee to get an idea of the time that will be involved is a bit of a red flag from an employee’s prospective.

It is good to hear the perspective of those who are interviewing. Every person offering or hiring a role is different, so my view is simply my vantage point. For me, I like the interview to be more a conversation. If the person being interviewed only answers questions, it does not get to a deeper level of conversation… for me anyway. Suggestion: Ask follow-up questions. Why is “this” so important here? What is a “win'” for this role? etc. I want people on the team who want to be on the team. And if they are not asking questions, I may view it as they are just looking for any job and not the one that is the right fit for how the Lord has wired them.

Greg — I agree. There is always a back story. If that question comes from a painful past, I would want to know it. But I would not suggest leading with that question.

Eric’s “red-flags” are very realistic. I remember a Christian leader who once said “how you come is how you will go.” If a person is disgruntled with his previous superior, it will only be a matter of time before he is disgruntled with you. If they are overly concerned about required hours, they will leave when the hours get heavy and they don’t feel compensated enough. If salary is an overarching concern (it should be of some concern), it will be after you hire and they will take the next position that offers more money. Serving the Lord is for servants and is a calling. If a person wants power, prestige, packages and parachutes, then they belong in the business sector, not in the non-profit ministry.

I agree with Eric on questions. As one who has interviewed and hired many church staff, unless you are an insider, I expect you to have questions. To have none makes you appear unengaged and lacking in creativity. If it is hard to think on your feet, come in with two or three ready. At least say, “I was going to ask about X and Y but you did a great job covering things. I will probably think of some other things later, is there someone I could email a few questions to?” That demonstrates preparation and engagement and is far superior to asking nothing.